U.S. patent number 5,496,061 [Application Number 08/414,941] was granted by the patent office on 1996-03-05 for seat mounted air bag assembly.
This patent grant is currently assigned to TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.. Invention is credited to Louis R. Brown.
United States Patent |
5,496,061 |
Brown |
March 5, 1996 |
Seat mounted air bag assembly
Abstract
An air bag module (80) is mounted on a vehicle seatback (22).
The module (80) includes an air bag (90) which has a narrow
elongate neck portion (200) and a wide body portion (210). The neck
portion (200) and the body portion (210) when inflated lie adjacent
to the head and neck of an occupant (52) of the seat (12). The body
portion (210) of the air bag (90) does not inflate until it has
moved past the head and neck of the occupant (52). The body portion
(210) of the air bag (90) has a relatively large height as compared
to the neck portion (200) when the air bag is inflated. The body
portion (210) is engageable by the head and neck of a forward
leaning vehicle occupant.
Inventors: |
Brown; Louis R. (Oxford,
MI) |
Assignee: |
TRW Vehicle Safety Systems Inc.
(Lyndhurst, OH)
|
Family
ID: |
23643676 |
Appl.
No.: |
08/414,941 |
Filed: |
March 31, 1995 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
280/730.2;
280/743.1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60R
21/23138 (20130101); B60R 21/217 (20130101); B60R
21/207 (20130101); B60R 2021/2074 (20130101); B60R
2021/0006 (20130101); B60R 21/237 (20130101); B60R
2021/23382 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60R
21/20 (20060101); B60R 21/16 (20060101); B60R
21/00 (20060101); B60R 021/22 () |
Field of
Search: |
;280/730.2,730.1,743.1,743.2,732,728.1,728.2 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0611684 |
|
Aug 1994 |
|
EP |
|
4019596 |
|
Jan 1992 |
|
DE |
|
5-38993 |
|
Feb 1993 |
|
JP |
|
93/08042 |
|
Apr 1993 |
|
WO |
|
Other References
Advertisement brochure from PARS GmbH regarding "Seat Integrated
Airbag for Side Impact Protection", PARSO7. doc, Sep. 1993. .
Advertisement from Johnson Controls, Inc. regarding "Structural
Seat with Integrated Air Bag", Automotive Engineering, p. 27, May,
1994..
|
Primary Examiner: Focarino; Margaret A.
Assistant Examiner: English; Peter C.
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Tarolli, Sundheim & Covell
Claims
Having described the invention, I claim:
1. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
a seat for supporting an occupant of the vehicle in a seated
position with the occupant's head disposed adjacent to a side
structure of the vehicle, said seat including a seat bottom portion
and a seatback;
a housing;
an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint in said housing for, when
inflated, protecting the occupant of the vehicle, said inflatable
restraint having a neck portion and a body portion which lie
adjacent to the occupant's head and neck when inflated for
engagement by the occupant's head and neck;
an inflator for directing inflation fluid into said inflatable
restraint to inflate said inflatable restraint;
means for sensing a side impact to the vehicle of a magnitude
sufficient to require protection of the vehicle occupant and for
actuating said inflator to inflate said inflatable restraint in
response to sensing said side impact to the vehicle; and
support means for supporting said housing on said seatback for
inflation of said body portion of said inflatable restraint between
the vehicle occupant's head and the vehicle side structure;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint having an elongate
tubular configuration and being connected in fluid communication
between said inflator and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated
extending from said housing and having a longitudinal central axis
extending through said neck portion;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated having
a relatively small height as measured in a vertical direction
transverse to said axis and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint when inflated having a relatively large height as
measured in said vertical direction transverse to said axis.
2. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
longitudinal central axis of said neck portion of said inflatable
restraint extends at an angle of about 15.degree. above the
horizontal when said inflatable restraint is inflated and said
seatback is reclined at an angle of about 25.degree. from the
vertical.
3. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 2 wherein said
longitudinal central axis of said neck portion of said inflatable
restraint extends forward at an angle of about 26.degree. outward
from a front-to-back axis of the vehicle when said inflatable
restraint is inflated and said seatback is reclined at an angle of
about 25.degree. from the vertical.
4. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
longitudinal central axis of said neck portion of said inflatable
restraint extends forward at an angle of about 26.degree. outward
from a front-to-back axis of the vehicle when said inflatable
restraint is inflated and said seatback is reclined at an angle of
about 25.degree. from the vertical.
5. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
seatback of said vehicle seat includes a headrest, said housing
being supported on said seatback at a location between said
headrest and the vehicle side structure.
6. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein the
height of said body portion of said inflatable restraint is in the
range of from about twice the height of said neck portion of said
inflatable restraint to about four times the height of said neck
portion of said inflatable restraint.
7. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
body portion of said inflatable restraint is tuck folded inside
said elongate neck portion and said neck portion and said body
portion are tuck folded inside said housing.
8. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 7 wherein said
neck portion of said inflatable restraint is folded into said
housing so as to wrap around said folded body portion of said
inflatable restraint, said body portion of said inflatable
restraint being folded in a tight bundle within said folded neck
portion of said inflatable restraint, said body portion remaining
folded in a tight bundle within said folded neck portion during
inflation of said neck portion.
9. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
inflator is rated at 7-9 kiloPascals per millisecond based upon a
one cubic foot enclosed tank, whereby said neck portion of said
inflatable restraint inflates at a relatively low speed.
10. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 1 wherein said
neck portion of said inflatable restraint has a height of about 120
mm when inflated and said body portion of said inflatable restraint
has a height of about 310 mm when inflated.
11. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 10 wherein
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint has a length of
about 230 mm when inflated and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint has a length of about 340 mm when inflated.
12. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
a seat for supporting an occupant of the vehicle in a seated
position with the occupant's head disposed adjacent to a side
structure of the vehicle, said seat including a seat bottom portion
and a seatback which includes a seatback cushion portion and a
headrest portion;
a housing having a deployment opening;
an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint in said housing for, when
inflated, protecting the occupant of the vehicle, said inflatable
restraint having a neck portion and a body portion which lie
adjacent to the occupant's head and neck when inflated for
engagement by the occupant's head and neck;
an inflator connected in fluid communication with said inflatable
restraint for directing inflation fluid into said inflatable
restraint to inflate said inflatable restraint through said
deployment opening;
means for sensing a side impact to the vehicle of a magnitude
sufficient to require protection of the vehicle occupant and for
actuating said inflator to inflate said inflatable restraint in
response to sensing said side impact to the vehicle; and
support means for supporting said housing on said seatback for
inflation of said body portion of said inflatable restraint between
the vehicle occupant's head and the vehicle side structure;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated having
an elongate tubular configuration and having a longitudinal central
axis extending through said neck portion;
said body portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated having
a height as measured in a vertical direction transverse to said
axis which is substantially greater than the height of said neck
portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated;
said body portion of said inflatable restraint being tuck folded
inside said tubular neck portion of said inflatable restraint, said
neck portion of said inflatable restraint being tuck folded inside
said housing.
13. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein
said body portion of said inflatable restraint includes a series of
folded portions which extend between a back wall of said housing
and said deployment opening in said housing.
14. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 13 wherein
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint is folded into an
upper portion of the housing so as to wrap around said folded
portions of said body portion of said inflatable restraint, said
body portion of said inflatable restraint being folded in a tight
bundle within said folded neck portion of said inflatable
restraint.
15. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 14 wherein
said body portion remains folded in a tight bundle within said
folded neck portion during inflation of said neck portion.
16. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein
said inflator is rated at 7-9 kiloPascals per millisecond based
upon a one cubic foot enclosed tank, whereby said neck portion of
said inflatable restraint inflates at a relatively low speed.
17. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein
said longitudinal central axis of said neck portion of said
inflatable restraint extends forward at an angle of about
15.degree. above the horizontal and at an angle of about 26.degree.
outward from a front-to-rear axis of the vehicle when said
inflatable restraint is inflated when said seatback is reclined at
an angle of about 25.degree. from the vertical.
18. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 12 wherein the
height of said body portion of said inflatable restraint, when
inflated, is in the range of from about twice the height of said
elongate neck portion of said inflatable restraint to about four
times the height of said elongate neck portion of said inflatable
restraint.
19. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 18 wherein
said elongate neck portion of said inflatable restraint has a
height of about 120 mm and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint has a height of about 310 mm.
20. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 19 wherein
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint has a length of
about 230 mm and said body portion of said inflatable restraint has
a length of about 340 mm.
21. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
a seat for supporting an occupant of the vehicle in a seated
position with the occupant's head disposed adjacent to a side
structure of the vehicle, said seat including a seat bottom portion
and a seatback;
a housing;
an inflatable vehicle occupant: restraint in said housing for, when
inflated, protecting the occupant of the vehicle, said inflatable
restraint having a neck portion and a body portion which lie
adjacent to the occupant's neck and head when inflated;
an inflator connected in fluid communication with said inflatable
restraint for directing inflation fluid into said inflatable
restraint to inflate said inflatable restraint;
means for sensing a side impact to the vehicle of a magnitude
sufficient to require protection of the vehicle occupant and for
actuating said inflator to inflate said inflatable restraint in
response to sensing said side impact to the vehicle; and
support means for supporting said housing on said seatback for
inflation of said body portion of said inflatable restraint between
the vehicle occupant's head and the vehicle side structure; and
said body portion of said inflatable restraint being tuck folded
inside said neck portion, and said neck portion and said body
portion together being tuck folded inside said housing, said neck
portion inflating prior to inflation of said body portion.
22. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint has an elongate
tubular configuration and is connected in fluid communication
between said inflator and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated
extending from said housing and having a longitudinal central axis
extending through said neck portion;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated having
a relatively small height as measured in a vertical direction
transverse to said axis and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint when inflated having a relatively large height as
measured in said vertical direction transverse to said axis.
23. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein
said longitudinal central axis of said neck portion of said
inflatable restraint extends forward at an angle of about
15.degree. above the horizontal and at an angle of about 26.degree.
outward from a front-to-back axis of the vehicle when said
inflatable restraint is inflated and said seatback is reclined at
an angle of about 25.degree. from the vertical.
24. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 22 wherein the
height of said body portion of said inflatable restraint is in the
range of from about twice the height of said elongate neck portion
of said inflatable restraint to about four times the height of said
neck portion of said inflatable restraint.
25. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint has a height of
about 120 mm and said body portion of said inflatable restraint has
a height of about 310 mm, said neck portion of said inflatable
restraint having a length of about 230 mm and said body portion of
said inflatable restraint having a length of about 340 mm.
26. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint is folded into said
housing so as to wrap around said folded body portion of said
inflatable restraint, said body portion of said inflatable
restraint being folded in a tight bundle within said folded neck
portion of said inflatable restraint, said body portion remaining
folded in a tight bundle within said folded neck portion during
inflation of said neck portion.
27. A vehicle safety apparatus as set forth in claim 21 wherein
said inflator is rated at 7-9 kiloPascals per millisecond based
upon a one cubic foot enclosed tank, whereby said neck portion of
said inflatable restraint inflates at a relatively low speed.
28. A vehicle safety apparatus comprising:
a seat for supporting an occupant of the vehicle in a seated
position with the occupant's head disposed adjacent to a side
structure of the vehicle, said seat including a seat bottom portion
and a seatback;
a housing;
an inflatable vehicle occupant restraint in said housing for, when
inflated, protecting the occupant of the vehicle, said inflatable
restraint having a body portion and a neck portion which lie
adjacent to the occupant's head and neck when inflated for
engagement by the occupant's head and neck;
an inflator for directing inflation fluid into said inflatable
restraint to inflate said inflatable restraint;
means for sensing a side impact to the vehicle of a magnitude
sufficient to require protection of the vehicle occupant and for
actuating said inflator to inflate said inflatable restraint in
response to sensing said side impact to the vehicle; and
support means for supporting said housing on said seatback for
inflation of said body portion of said inflatable restraint between
the vehicle occupant's head and the vehicle side structure;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint having an elongate
tubular configuration and being connected in fluid communication
between said inflator and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated
extending from said housing and having a longitudinal central axis
extending through said neck portion;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint when inflated having
a relatively small height as measured in a vertical direction
transverse to said axis and said body portion of said inflatable
restraint when inflated having a relatively large height as
measured in said vertical direction transverse to said axis;
said longitudinal central axis of said neck portion of said
inflatable restraint extending forward at an angle of about
26.degree. outward from a front-to-back axis of the vehicle when
said inflatable restraint is inflated and said seatback is reclined
at an angle of about 25.degree. from the vertical;
said neck portion of said inflatable restraint being folded into
said housing so as to wrap around said body portion of said
inflatable restraint, said body portion of said inflatable
restraint being folded in a tight bundle within said folded neck
portion of said inflatable restraint, said body portion remaining
folded in a tight bundle within said folded neck portion during
inflation of said neck portion;
said inflator being rated at 7-9 kiloPascals per millisecond based
upon a one cubic foot enclosed tank, whereby said neck portion of
said inflatable restraint inflates at a relatively low speed.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1 Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle safety apparatus and
particularly relates to an air bag module including an inflatable
vehicle occupant restraint, such as an air bag, for protecting a
vehicle occupant in the event of a side impact to the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to inflate an air bag to protect a vehicle occupant in
the event of a side impact to a vehicle. The air bag is stored in a
deflated condition, together with an inflator, in the vehicle seat
in which the occupant is seated. In the event of a side impact to
the vehicle, the inflator is actuated and the air bag is inflated
into a position between the vehicle occupant and the adjacent
vehicle door. The air bag can protect the vehicle occupant from
forcefully striking or being struck by parts of the vehicle such as
the door. The air bag can also protect the vehicle occupant from
objects which might: intrude through the door or a side window of
the vehicle, such as a pole or a tree, during the side impact.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention is a vehicle safety apparatus comprising a
seat for supporting an occupant of the vehicle in a seated position
with the occupant's head disposed adjacent to a side structure of
the vehicle. The seat includes a seat bottom portion and a
seatback. An inflatable vehicle occupant restraint is located in a
housing for, when inflated, protecting the occupant of the vehicle.
The inflatable restraint has a neck portion and a body portion
which lie adjacent to the occupant's head and neck when inflated
for engagement by the occupant's head and neck. An inflator is
located in the housing for directing inflation fluid into the
inflatable restraint to inflate the inflatable restraint. The
vehicle safety apparatus includes means for sensing a side impact
to the vehicle of a magnitude sufficient to require protection of
the vehicle occupant and for actuating the inflator to inflate the
inflatable restraint in response to sensing the side impact to the
vehicle. The vehicle safety apparatus also includes support means
for supporting the housing on the seatback for deployment of the
body portion of the inflatable restraint between the vehicle
occupant's head and the vehicle side structure. The neck portion of
the inflatable restraint has an elongate tubular configuration and
is connected in fluid communication between the inflator and the
body portion of the inflatable restraint. The neck portion of the
inflatable restraint, when inflated, has a longitudinal central
axis extending through the neck portion. The neck portion of the
inflatable restraint, when inflated, has a relatively small height
as measured in a vertical direction transverse to its central axis.
The body portion of the inflatable restraint, when inflated, has a
relatively large height as measured in the vertical direction
transverse to the central axis of the neck portion.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
The foregoing and other features of the present invention will
become apparent to one skilled in the art to which the present
invention relates upon consideration of the following description
of the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings,
wherein:
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle seat and an air bag
module constructed in accordance with the present invention,
showing the air bag in an inflated condition;
FIG. 2 is a schematic view of the vehicle seat and air bag module
of FIG. 1 showing the air bag in an inflated condition between a
vehicle occupant and a vehicle door;
FIG. 3 is a schematic illustration taking generally along line 3--3
of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a schematic top plan view of the vehicle seat and
occupant of FIG. 2;
FIG. 5 is an elevational view of the air bag of FIG. 1 shown in a
partially inflated condition;
FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along 6--6 of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a view of the air bag module of FIG. 1; and
FIG. 8 is an enlarged partial sectional view of the air bag module
taken along 8--8 of FIG. 7;
FIG. 9 is a schematic view illustrating a first stage in the
folding of the air bag of FIG. 1;
FIG. 10 is a view similar to FIG. 9 illustrating a second stage in
the folding of the air bag;
FIG. 11 is a view similar to FIG. 10 illustrating a third stage in
the folding of the air bag; and
FIG. 12 is a schematic view illustrating a first stage in the
inflation of the air bag.
Description of Preferred Embodiment
The present invention relates to a vehicle safety apparatus and
particularly relates to an air bag module including an inflatable
vehicle occupant restraint, such as an air bag, for protecting a
vehicle occupant in the event of a side impact to the vehicle of a
magnitude sufficient to require protection of the vehicle occupant.
The present invention is applicable to various vehicle safety
apparatus constructions. As representative of the present
invention, FIG. 1 illustrates a vehicle safety apparatus 10.
The vehicle safety apparatus 10 includes a seat 12 which is
illustrated as a front passenger seat for an occupant 52 (FIG. 3)
of a vehicle 14. The seat 12 (FIGS. 1-3) includes a seat bottom
cushion 16 supported on a portion 18 of the body 20 of the vehicle
14. The seat 12 includes a seatback 22 connected with the seat
bottom cushion 16. The seatback 22 has a lower portion 24 and an
upper portion 26. The seatback 22 also has an outboard side 28 and
an inboard side 30.
The seatback 22 includes a headrest 32, which is supported on or
which may be formed as one piece with the upper portion 26 of the
seatback. The headrest 32 is covered with a fabric material
covering, such as cloth or leather. A seat frame member 34 is
disposed in the seatback 22. A front-to-back axis 36 (FIG. 4)
extends through the seat 12 in a direction parallel to the
direction of travel of the vehicle. The axis 36 is centered between
the outboard side 28 and the inboard side 30 of the seatback
22.
The vehicle body 20 includes a door 40 disposed adjacent to the
seat 12. The door 40 includes a window 42 having an inner major
side surface 44. A B-pillar 46 of the vehicle 14 is disposed behind
(to the left of, as viewed in FIG. 3) the door 40. It should be
understood that the present invention is usable in a vehicle such
as a van which has no side window adjacent to the seat 12, to
protect the vehicle occupant from contact with the side structure
of the vehicle.
The vehicle 14 includes a three-point continuous loop seat belt
system 50 (FIGS. 2 and 3) for restraining an occupant 52 of the
seat 12. The seat belt system 50 is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 in an
engaged condition. The seat belt system 50 includes a single
continuous length of belt webbing 54 which is divided by a movable
tongue assembly 56 into a lap portion 58 and a shoulder portion 60.
The lap portion 58 of the belt webbing 54 extends across the seat
bottom cushion 16 and across the lap of the occupant 52. The
shoulder portion 60 of the belt webbing 54 extends across the
seatback 22 and across the upper torso 62 of the occupant 52 of the
seat 12. The tongue assembly 56 is engaged with a buckle 64
anchored to the vehicle body 20.
One end of the length of belt webbing 54 is connected at an anchor
point 66 to the vehicle body 20. From the anchor point 66, the belt
webbing 54 extends across the seat bottom cushion 16 to the tongue
assembly 56 and buckle 64. The belt webbing 54 then extends from
the tongue assembly 56 across the torso 62 of the vehicle occupant
52 to a D-ring 68 supported on the vehicle B-pillar 46. The belt
webbing 54 extends downward from the D-ring 68 to a seat belt
webbing retractor 70 which is supported in a known manner on the
vehicle body 20.
The vehicle safety apparatus 10 includes an air bag module 80 which
is mounted on the vehicle seat 12. The air bag module 80 includes a
housing 82, an inflator 84, a retainer or retaining ring 86 and an
air bag 90.
The housing 82 (FIG. 7) is made from sheet metal and has a
box-shaped configuration which defines a chamber 98 in the housing.
The housing 82 has an upper portion 100 for storing the air bag 90
in a folded condition (for clarity, the folded portions of the air
bag 90 are not shown in FIG. 7). The upper portion 100 of the
housing 82 includes a back wall 101. A forward edge portion 102 of
the housing 82 defines a generally rectangular deployment opening
103 (FIG. 9) in the housing 82 opposite the back wall 101. A lower
portion 104 of the housing 82 receives the inflator 84.
The inflator 84 is illustrated as a pyrotechnic inflator which uses
the combustion of gas-generating material to generate inflation
fluid in the form of gas to inflate the air bag 90. The module 80
alternatively could include a stored gas inflator or a hybrid
inflator, both of which use at least some stored gas released from
the inflator to inflate an air bag. As illustrated with the
reference numeral 112 in dot-dash lines in FIG. 7, a stored gas
inflator or a hybrid inflator could extend through both the lower
portion 104 and the upper portion 100 of the housing 82.
An inflator mounting ring 114 together with a plurality of
fasteners 116 secures the inflator 84 in the lower portion 104 of
the housing 82. The vehicle safety apparatus 10 includes known
means indicated schematically at 118 (FIG. 7) for sensing a side
impact to the vehicle 14 and for actuating the inflator 84 in
response to the sensing of a side impact. The means 118 may include
a side impact sensor and vehicle circuitry for electrically
actuating the inflator 84 in response to sensing a side impact to
the vehicle 14. The inflator 84 has one or more fluid outlets (not
shown) disposed inside the housing 82 for directing inflation fluid
into the chamber 98 in the housing upon actuation of the inflator
to inflate the air bag 90.
The retaining ring 86 (FIGS. 7 and 8) is a ring-shaped member
preferably made from sheet metal. The retaining 10 ring 86 has a
rectangular configuration which defines a central opening 110 in
the retaining ring. The rectangular central opening 110 in the
retaining ring 86 has the same configuration as the deployment
opening 103 in the housing 82.
The air bag 90 (FIGS. 5 and 6) is formed from two separate fabric
material panels, i.e., an inner panel 120 and an outer panel 130.
The panels 120 and 130 are sewn together in a manner as illustrated
in FIGS. 5 and 6. The panels 120 and 130 are substantially
identical to each other and therefore only the inner panel 120 will
be described in detail.
The inner panel 120 is a single piece of fabric material which is
symmetrical about a longitudinal central axis 132 of the air bag
90. The inner panel 120 has an elongate neck portion 134 and an
oblong body portion 136. The inner panel 120 of the air bag 90 has
an outer major side surface 176 (FIG. 6) and an inner major side
surface 178.
The body portion 136 of the inner panel 120 has an arcuate outer
peripheral side portion 140 (FIG. 5) which is centered on the axis
132. A terminal end 142 of the air bag 90 is disposed on the axis
132. The arcuate side portion 140 merges into parallel axially
extending side portions 144 and 146. The side portions 144 and 146
merge into arcuate side portions 148 and 150, respectively,
disposed adjacent to the elongate neck portion 134 of the inner
panel 120.
The elongate neck portion 134 of the inner panel 120 is defined
generally by parallel axially extending side portions 160 and 162.
The one side portion 160 merges via an arcuate side portion 164
with the side portion 148 of the body portion 136 of the inner
panel 120. The other axially extending side portion 162 of the
elongate neck portion 134 merges via an arcuate side portion 166
with the side portion 150 of the body portion 136 of the inner
panel 120.
The outer panel 130 (FIG. 6) of the air bag 90 is a single piece of
fabric material which is symmetrical about the longitudinal central
axis 132 of the air bag. The outer panel 130 includes an elongate
neck portion 180 and an oblong body portion 182. A pair of vents
illustrated schematically at 184 are disposed in the body portion
182 of the outer panel 130. The vents 184 are of a known
construction and extend between an outer major side surface 186 and
an inner major side surface 188 of the outer panel 130. The inner
major side surface 188 of the outer panel 130 is presented toward
the inner major side surface 178 of the inner panel 120. With the
exception of the vents 184, the outer panel 130 is identical to the
inner panel 120.
The air bag 90 is assembled in a known manner by stitching the
inner panel 120 to the outer panel 130 with a double-needle
stitching line indicated schematically at 189 (FIG. 5). Next, the
air bag 90 is turned inside out by pulling the body portions 136
and 182 of the panels 120 and 130 through the opening between the
ends of the elongate neck portions 134 and 180 of the panels. The
seams of the air bag 90 are top stitched in a known manner. A known
tether 190 is sewn between and extends between the inner side
surface 178 of the inner panel 120 and the inner side surface 188
of the outer panel 130.
The elongate neck portions 134 and 180 of the panels 120 and 130
together form an elongate neck portion, designated 200, of the air
bag 90. A first end portion or mouth portion 201 of the elongate
neck portion 200 defines an inflation fluid opening 202 into the
air bag 90. The elongate neck portion 200 of the air bag 90,
including the mouth portion 201, is tubular in configuration and
surrounds the inflation opening 202. The longitudinal central axis
132 of the air bag 90 extends through the elongate neck portion 200
of the air bag 90 and forms a longitudinal central axis of the
elongate neck portion.
The body portions 136 and 182 of the panels 120 and 130 together
form a body portion, designated 210, of the air bag 90. The body
portion 210 defines an inflation fluid volume 212 of the air bag
90. A second end portion 214 of the elongate neck portion 200 of
the air bag 90 places the inflation fluid volume 212 in fluid
communication with the inflation fluid opening 202.
For purposes of illustration, it can be considered that the
dividing line between the elongate neck portion 200 and the body
portion 210 is along an imaginary line 168. The imaginary line 168
extends perpendicular to an imaginary line 170 at a point of
intersection between the line 170 and the outer edge of the air bag
90. The imaginary line 170 extends parallel to and is spaced
equidistant between the side portion 144 of the body portion 136 of
the inner panel 120 and the side portion 160 of the elongate neck
portion 134.
One air bag 90 constructed in accordance with the preferred
embodiment of the invention has an overall length of about 570 mm
when in the partially inflated condition illustrated in FIGS. 5 and
6. The elongate neck portion 200 of the one air bag 90, as measured
between the inflation fluid opening 202 and the imaginary line 168
(FIG. 5) has a length of about 230 mm. The body portion 210 of the
one air bag 90, as measured between the imaginary line 168 and the
terminal end 142 of the air bag, has a length of about 340 mm. The
elongate neck portion 200 of the one air bag 90 when inflated has a
height "A" (FIG. 5) of about 120 mm as measured in a direction
perpendicular to the axis 132. The body portion 210 of the one air
bag 90 when inflated has a height "B" of about 310 mm as measured
in the direction perpendicular to the axis 132. In other air bags
constructed in accordance with the present invention, the body
portion 210 of the air bag 90 may have a height "B" which is in the
range of from about twice the height "A" of the elongate neck
portion 200 to about four times the height "A" of the elongate neck
portion.
After the air bag 90 is sewn, a thin flexible welt 214 (FIG. 8) is
placed around the mouth portion 201 of the air bag 90. The mouth
portion 201 of the air bag 90 is then folded back over the welt 214
and sewn to itself, as best seen in FIG. 8, to encircle the
welt.
In assembling the air bag 90 to the housing 82, the retaining ring
86 (FIGS. 7 and 8) is placed around the mouth portion 201 of the
air bag. The mouth portion 201 extends through the central opening
110 of the retaining ring 86. The retaining ring 86 and the mouth
portion 201 of the air bag 90 are fixed to the forward edge portion
102 of the upper portion 100 of the housing 82 by a plurality of
fasteners such as bolts 230 and nuts 232.
The air bag 90 is then folded inside the upper portion 100 of the
housing 82 in a manner shown schematically in FIGS. 9-11. In the
first step of the folding process, the outer peripheral side
portion 140 of the air bag 90, including the terminal end 142, is
tuck folded inside the body portion 210 of the air bag, to a
condition as shown schematically in FIG. 9. Next, the entire body
portion 210 of the air bag 90 is tuck folded inside the neck
portion 200 of the air bag and then into the upper portion 100 of
the housing 82 in a manner as shown schematically in FIG. 10. In
this condition, the body portion 210 of the air bag 90 includes a
series of folded portions 234 which extend between the back wall
101 of the housing 12 and the deployment opening 103 in the
retaining ring 86. Finally, the neck portion 200 of the air bag 90
is folded into the upper portion 100 of the housing 82, so as to
wrap around the outside of the folded body portion 210, as
illustrated schematically in FIG. 11. As a result, the body portion
210 of the air bag 90 is folded in a tight clump within the folded
neck portion 200 of the air bag.
The assembled air bag module 80 is secured to the seat frame member
34 in the seatback 22, at a location adjacent to the headrest 32.
The forward edge portion 102 of the housing 82 preferably faces
outward at an angle .beta. (FIG. 4) to the front-to-back axis 36 of
the vehicle seat 12 and upward at an angle .alpha. (FIG. 3) from
the horizontal. Specifically, the module 80 is mounted on the
seatback 22 so that when the seatback is reclined at an angle of
25.degree. from the vertical, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the air bag
90 deploys in a forward direction, as described below, with the
longitudinal central axis 132 extending (a) at an angle .alpha. of
15.degree. upward from the horizontal and (b) at an angle .beta. of
26.degree. outward of the front-to-back axis 36. These angles are
selected to enable the elongate neck portion 200 and body portion
210 of the air bag 90, when inflated, to lie adjacent to the head
and neck of an upright seated occupant 52. The body portion 210 of
the air bag 90, when inflated, is engageable by the head and neck
of a forward leaning vehicle occupant 52. These angles help to
ensure deployment of the air bag 90 outward from the head and neck
of the occupant, and thus to minimize forces to the head and neck
should the inflating air bag inadvertently strike the vehicle
occupant.
In the event of a side impact to the vehicle 14 of a magnitude
sufficient to require protection of the vehicle occupant 52, the
inflator 84 is actuated in a known manner and directs inflation
fluid under pressure into the chamber 98 in the housing 82. The
walls of the housing 82 direct the inflation fluid through the
inflation fluid opening 202 in the mouth portion 201 of the air bag
90 and into the elongate neck portion 200 of the air bag. The
inflation fluid flows through the elongate neck portion 200 of the
air bag 90 and thence into the body portion 210. The air bag 90
inflates in a manner as illustrated schematically in FIG. 12 from a
folded, stored condition to an inflated condition as illustrated in
FIGS. 1-3.
The elongate neck portion 200 of the air bag 90 inflates before the
body portion 210, because the body portion is tucked and folded
inside the elongate neck portion 200. The elongate neck portion 200
of the air bag 90 inflates adjacent to the occupant's neck and
head. Because of the narrow tubular configuration of the elongate
neck portion 200 of the air bag 90, the inflating air bag stays in
a tight bundle or small clump as the elongate neck portion
inflates, for about the first one third of the total deployment
distance. One third of the deployment distance is typically a
distance of about 20 cm to 25 cm.
At this point, the inflating air bag 90 typically extends to a
position adjacent to the head of the occupant 52 and only the
elongate neck portion 200 of the air bag 90 is inflated. The body
portion 210 of the air bag 90 is still folded in a small bundle as
illustrated schematically in FIG. 12. After the elongate neck
portion 200 of the air bag 90 inflates, the body portion 210 of the
air bag inflates and billows out to a position between the
occupant's head and the inner side surface 44 of the vehicle window
42, as seen in FIGS. 2 and 4.
The inflator 84 preferably is rated at 7-9 KPA/ms (kiloPascals per
millisecond), based upon a one cubic foot enclosed tank. Thus, when
the inflator 84 in testing is actuated so that its inflation fluid
output is directed into a one cubic foot enclosed tank, the
pressure in the tank increases at a rate of 7-9 KPa/ms. Together
with the relatively small size of the inflating air bag bundle
which is due to the narrowness of the neck portion 200, this
relatively modest inflation fluid flow rate causes the inflating
air bag to move past the occupant's head and neck at a relatively
low speed. Accordingly, less force is transmitted to the vehicle
occupant if the inflating air bag 90 inadvertently strikes the
occupant, as can occur if the occupant is "out of position". This
low deployment speed also helps to ensure that the air bag 90
inflates properly past the vehicle seat belt system 50.
The elongate neck portion 200 of the air bag 90, when inflated, has
a relatively small height as measured in a vertical direction
transverse to the axis 132. The body portion 210 of the air bag 90,
when inflated, has a relatively large height as measured in the
vertical direction transverse to the axis 132. The elongate neck
portion 200 of the air bag 90 is relatively narrow as compared to
the body portion 210. That is, the height "A" (FIG. 5) of the
elongate neck portion 200 of the air bag 90, as measured in a
direction perpendicular to the axis 132, is substantially less than
the height "B" of the body portion 210 of the air bag as measured
in the same direction. The inflated air bag 90 is thus
paddled-shaped in configuration, as best seen in FIG. 5. The
relatively great height of the body portion 210 of the air bag 90
ensures that it is engageable by a forward leaning vehicle occupant
even if the occupant is unusually tall or short.
The air bag 90 inflates between the head and neck of the occupant
52 of the vehicle 14, and the vehicle window 42 or B-pillar 46. The
inflated air bag 90 is located between the occupant 52 and the
shoulder belt portion 60 of the belt webbing 54. As illustrated,
approximately 20% of the inflated air bag 90 is disposed above the
D-ring 68, although substantially more than 20% of the inflated air
bag can be disposed above the D-ring. The air bag 90 extends
between the seat 12 and the door 40 to protect the occupant 52 of
the seat from a forceful impact with the door. The inflated air bag
90 can also protect the occupant 52 from an object intruding
through the door 40 or window 42 into the passenger compartment of
the vehicle 14.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, the air bag module 80
is mounted on the seat frame member 34 at a location separate from
and next to the headrest 32. The module 80 is preferably enclosed
by the same piece of fabric material covering which covers the
headrest 32. The air bag 90 inflates through a seam in the fabric.
Thus, no separate cover for the air bag module 80 is needed.
The module 80 may be mounted on a vehicle seat having a headrest
which is movable relative to the other portions of the seatback. In
this case, the module 80 is preferably secured on the seatback so
that the module does not move with the headrest when the headrest
moves relative to the other portions of the seatback.
Alternatively, the air bag module 80 can be mounted in a movable
headrest. In this case, the module 80 would move with the headrest
as the headrest is adjusted relative to the other portions of the
vehicle seatback.
From the above description of the invention, those skilled in the
art will perceive improvements, changes and modifications in the
invention. For example, the relative proportions of the elongate
neck portion 200 and the body portion 210 of the air bag 90, as
well as the overall dimensions of the air bag, can be different
from those of the illustrated air bag. Such improvements, changes
and modifications within the skill of the art are intended to be
covered by the appended claims.
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